Everything is not what it seems
by Rina Meunier
Summary: Spock gets a new assistent who's a good friend of McCoy and not quite human.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She pulled the band out of her chin-length hair-for the 20th time this morning, trying to put it into a neat bun or at least a ponytail. She was getting more and more annoyed every second.

"Merde", she cursed when she failed to tame her hair for the 25th time and threw the band into the open suitcase on top of her never-used bed.

She ran her brush through the dark-blond-golden strands, combing her bangs out of her almost white face and securing them with a golden hair clip on the back of her head. She straightened the skirt of her red uniform and left for the court room.

* * *

Any opinions? Shall I post more?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kirk, McCoy and Spock sat in the court room. Today this trial should come to an end. Prosecution and defense gave their best.

Cmdr. Sinclair, the human prosecutor, gave his plea. In his opinion the defendant had murdered his wife because he was jealous of her countless affairs.

The young Lt. on the opposite side of the room listened carefully. When her turn came, she stood up and explained her point of view in a calm, logical manner:

"This entire charge is based on circumstantial evidences. There is no solid proof for my client's guilt. The late Mrs. Jones has given a lot of men a reason to kill her. Most of the others are still unknown. As for the traces of my client at the crime scene and on the weapon, he lived in this house. Mrs. Jones was stabbed with a kitchen knife and Mr. Jones was the one who found her. That's why his DNA and fingerprints are everywhere. Because of that I apply for an acquittal in dubio pro reo." She sat down again.

The judges left to discuss their decision. She was about to leave the room to get something to drink when Dr. McCoy called her.

"Rina, over here!"

She turned around and her ice-blue eyes went wide. "Bones! I didn't expect you here. You told me that you would pick me up after the trial."

"I know. We were early so I thought I show the captain and Spock you in action."

She blushed and smiled shyly without showing her teeth.

"Rina, these are Captain Kirk and Cmdr. Spock. Gentlemen, this is Lt. Katharina Meunier…What?" he asked as she wrinkled her nose as if in pain.

"Your pronunciation of my name. Tough it is spelled K-A-T-H-A-R-I-N-A; you ignore the H and just pronounce the T. And for the last part either you learn French or you call me Lieutenant."

They had no chance to discuss it further because of the judges entering the room. They returned to their seats.

Max Jones was acquitted on all accounts. There were too many doubts.

Lt. Meunier sighed with relieve and her lips parted into a small pleased smile, giving a view of a line of perfectly even, white teeth-with two exceptions. Her canine teeth were sharp and pointy, almost catlike fangs.

The room emptied. Jones jumped up and thanked her with a tight hug and a kiss on her right cheek and nearly ran out of the room.

Her cheeks grew hot as she gazed after him, completely flabbergasted. "You're welcome."

Bones tilted his head and studied her with a furrowed brow. "Rina, the blush on your cheeks, it's blue."

The color became a rich royal blue. "I...I know," she said with a clearly audible French accent. "Some of the others thought it would be funny to put food coloring into my breakfast. And because I have drunk on storage, the blood running through my veins will be blue for a week." She gazed at him through her lashes. "You humans are weird creatures."

* * *

Now, what do you think?

Without having read anything about her, do you know who or rather what she is?

I have some ideas for this and I am open for any ideas you might have.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"I could pump the blue blood out of your veins."

She grimaced. "I don't know if that would be a good idea, Bones. Or can you bear a hungry vampire on a ship with about 400 humans on board?"

"You drink human blood?" asked Kirk.

"No! But most people just hear what I am and don't care about the fact that we don't necessarily drink human blood. This whole thing is much more complicated than humans think."

They entered sickbay to check her over. On the way she had dropped her bags in her quarters and she had changed from law-red into science-blue.

She was five feet seven inches tall and dainty but not without feminine curves.

"Is it ok for you if the captain and Spock stay in here?"

She nodded. "It's alright. I guess many people are curious. It doesn't happen often to have a vampire at your service."

"Why didn't we hear of the existence of your race earlier?"

"Our worlds are completely separated. The magical creatures that lived among humans were always under strict orders not to reveal themselves. When humans became aware of interstellar life it became more and more difficult to hide. People began to notice that I didn't age. When I decided to join Starfleet I had to reveal what I really was. I couldn't pretend to be human anymore. I believe they only let me enter because I was born on earth."

McCoy was finished with the scan. "You read mostly human. Your spectrum of brainwaves differs, your cochlea has more meanders and your larynx has a different shape than ours."

"How do these differences manifest themselves?"

"Magic is a thing of the mind. For my powers my brain needs to function differently. I'm also a telepath. The shape of my larynx makes it possible for me to emit ultrasonic waves which my ears pick up and my brain calculates from the echo the distance of objects. So I am able to create a 3D map of my surroundings."

"Like a bat," remarked Spock.

Rina's eyes lit up and she smiled slightly. "Exactly. I'm glad you understand the concept. Well, what else is there to expect from a Vulcan."

"When can you start?" asked Kirk.

She jumped down from the bed and stood straight. "Lt. Rina Meunier reporting for duty, sir."

"Could you wait outside for a moment, Rina? I have to talk to the others. We'll join you shortly."

She nodded and left.

"So what do you think?"

"She's pretty. The way she talks is a little strange. She seems to have problems with humans."

"Humans are 'weird creatures'. As a not human I understand her."

"Jim, please keep your distance. She doesn't like it when people are too close to her. She needs her personal space."

"Do you know the reasons for her behavior?"

"Not really. All she told me is that her experiences with humans, especially male humans weren't that great. She mostly talks about work, as a lawyer or a science officer. She's just as unemotional as a Vulcan except for embarrassment. This smile earlier was an exception. She barely ever smiles or laughs. In the time I had to deal with her I've never seen her scared or sad. I think she hides behind her intelligence. Well, she's smart. When I met her the first time she was only an ensign. The ship we worked on had serious problems with its systems. Our chief engineer had no idea how to solve the problem. She went to work on it. On his complains she only said: 'When I repaired a computer the first time your grandparents weren't even planned, so don't you tell me girls couldn't do stuff like that'. She took apart the main computer and set it back together and everything was fine."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating."

"We should go. We can ask her about her record personally."

They exited sickbay but Rina Meunier was nowhere to be seen. They looked around the empty corridor. "Where is she?" asked McCoy.

"Up here, gentlemen," came her voice out of nowhere.

They looked up to see her hanging upside down from the ceiling. She let go and landed on her feet in front of them.

"How can you do that?" Kirk was surprised.

"As Cmdr. Spock pointed out: I'm much like a bat. I can turn myself into one, emit and hear ultrasound, hang upside down and sleep this way, but these are all human clichés. Why are you two so stunned?"

* * *

I'm sorry for the short chapters. If you have any suggestions for this story, please let me know. This is my first TOS-Story.


	4. The naked time

The naked time

"It's like everyone's gone crazy. First these scientists on Psi and now members of the crew, I mean last time I've seen people behaving like this they were drunk. But I couldn't smell any alcohol in their blood."

"I'm sure they aren't drunk or drugged. There must have been something on the planet which contaminated us. I haven't found a cure yet."

"Keep looking, Bones. Lt., are you able to help us maintaining course?"

"Certainly, Captain. I'll do my best."

* * *

"Bones? Have you seen Spock? The captain needs him."

"Hi, Rina. I believe he was here a moment ago."

"Found anything yet?"

"No, but I'm getting close. I think nurse Chapel talked to Spock."

She looked alarmed. "Is she infected?"

"Yes and she behaves just as crazy is the rest."

"Gotta go." She turned but was called back.

"Where are you going?"

"Nearest empty room," she said and hurried out.

* * *

When Rina entered the conference room she couldn't believe what she saw.

Spock, her stoic, Vulcan superior officer sat by the table – crying.

"Sir, are you ok?" she asked confused.

He looked up. "Lieutenant, I thought about my mother. I never told her that I love her."

Now she was stunned. "Commander, the Captain needs your help."

"Jim. I have felt friendship for him. I was so ashamed for it."

She went closer to him. "Sir, you have to come to your senses. Our all lives depend on it."

He stood up and turned to face her. "In the short time we know each other you were an excellent assistant."

"Well, thanks, I guess. You are not yourself. Pull yourself together."

Spock tried and almost succeeded – but only almost. Rina bit her lip. Maybe there was a way.

She took another step towards him and held out her hands. "I'm going to help you with your control. Take my hands."

He hesitated but complied. Rina held them tight and locked her eyes with his.

"Concentrate on me. Only me and open your mind."

He did. As soon as his shields were lowered he could feel her. Her confusion, her understanding. Her calmness took over him. He released her hands.

She looked at him with one of her rare smiles. "Better?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then come. The captain needs you in engineering." She left quickly with him close behind.

* * *

"It would appear that we can go back in time anywhere we want."

"Maybe we try it out another time. Get us out of here."

* * *

Rina was sitting on a chair, reading a book. She was dressed in shorts and tank top, which were much more comfortable than her uniform.

Her door chime sounded. "Come in." She stood up as she saw who it was. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I wished to talk to you about the incident in the conference room. You have very enhanced telepathic abilities."

"Thanks."

"Could you keep this a secret? I have a reputation to keep."

"My lips are sealed, Commander, my word as a Starfleet officer."

Spock nodded. "I believe 'Thank you' would be the correct response."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "Then I'd say 'You're welcome. No big deal. Anytime you need me I'll be there.'"

He nodded again in acknowledgement. "Have a nice evening, Miss Meunier."

She actually smiled at the correct pronunciation of her last name. "Ditto, Mr. Spock."

* * *

I hope I didn't screw it up. Please tell me your opinion.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Where are we, Mr. Spock?"

"Earth, June 11th 2009, sir."

"So this time travelling really worked."

"So it seems. Captain, I am picking up energy readings quite unusual for this time."

"Where do they come from?"

"A place called Munich. Shall we beam down?"

Kirk stood up. "We should investigate. Spock, Bones, Rina, you're with me."

Rina looked down and swallowed. "Sir, I can't come with you. I moved to Munich in 2008. We could meet people who know me or worse my 14-year-old self. It's too dangerous."

Kirk nodded. They changed into clothes from the time and beamed down.

* * *

They materialized underneath a group of trees. They saw a lot of people, mostly girls from 10 to 18 years old in uniforms, but they didn't notice the three men. There were two buildings with four stories each and one which seemed to be a gym.

Spock carefully took out his tricorder and scanned the area.

"The source of energy is in the basement of this building."

They entered. "This is some kind of school, I think," said McCoy, looking around.

They went downstairs. It was much colder and darker there.

The followed Spock and nearly bumped into him when he stopped.

"What the…"

"Quiet. We are not alone."

Then the two humans heard it to. Someone was playing piano and a young female voice was singing.

"It's easy to feel like  
You're all alone  
To feel like nobody knows  
The great that you are  
The good that's inside you  
Is trying so hard to break through…"

They peaked through the glass door of a music lounge. On the piano sat a young girl but because of the distance they couldn't see much.

"Nice voice," said Kirk.

They went further down the darkened corridor until they had reached the storage room. On the shelves were suitcases and cardboard boxes with inscriptions in a language they couldn't understand. They had nearly reached their target when…

"Wer sind Sie und was machen sie hier?"

They turned to see a young woman with short hair wearing a lab coat.

Kirk took a step towards her. "Sorry, Miss. We don't understand."

She raised a brow. "I said: Who are you and what are you doing?"

"I am James Kirk and these are Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy and we want to…apply for a job."

"In the basement?"

"We got lost on the way. Could you help us, Miss…"

"Apps. I'll bring you to the principal's office."

"Thanks. What were you doing down here?"

She held up a white bottle. "I'm teaching chemistry and wanted to prepare an experiment for my tenth graders but needed some other chemicals."

"What's in there?"

"Sulphuric acid. Highly concentrated. So be careful."

The passed the music lounge again now hearing somebody playing cross flute.

"Who's in there? When we came here we heard a piano and singing," asked McCoy.

Apps smiled. "Our little prodigy is working. She needs special support for her talents. Thursday afternoon she has math, art and music. On other days she has lessons in other subjects. Very talented girl, really."

They went to the second story and Miss Apps knocked on the door of the office.

Mr. Obermayer, the principal gave them jobs. Kirk became the janitor, this way he could investigate without raising suspicion. McCoy became head of sickbay. And Spock should take care of the computers.

As they left for their destinations they made a plan.

"We will continue our mission tonight. Meet you at midnight in front of the storage room. See you then, gentlemen."

* * *

Song: 'Make some noise' by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I have no explanation for this. The energy source just disappeared."

They stood in sickbay on this Friday afternoon, discussing the last night.

"We are going to stay for a while. Something's definitely odd around here."

There was a knock on the door. "Come on in," called McCoy.

Two girls about 14 years entered. The taller one looked Chinese, her black hair went down to her knees and her eyes were almost black. She wore a cheerleader uniform.

The other one was pale. Her hair was blond and tied into a ponytail. She wore a soccer jersey. Her eyes were closed and she hid the lower half of her face behind a bloodstained tissue.

McCoy led her to the bed and she sat down.

"What happened?"

"I didn't pay enough attention and was hit by the ball. We need something to stop the bleeding." She sniffed and removed the tissue. Blood was running out of her nose.

"This is the third tissue, Kathi. Must've been a really hard hit."

The three men looked at each other. To confirm their suspicion Kirk asked:

"What are your names?"

"I'm Caro Szarath, class representative of the 8 c. And my friend…"

"My name is Katharina," she turned and put her hair over her shoulder to let them take a look at the back of her shirt. "Katharina Meunier, captain of this school's junior soccer team."

McCoy looked her over. "You have a slight concussion. Do you have any other lessons today?"

"Yes, I wanted to take a shower, and then I have a computer science lesson and drama class."

"I'll relieve you. You should rest."

Katharina nodded.

"Why do you have so much school stuff all the time? It's Friday," asked Caro.

"I need some special education."

"What for? You have a 1 in every subject. You are our best student. Yesterday it was math and music. That's just crazy."

She just shrugged.

"Thanks, Dr.. See you around."

They left.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I believe we know now who this 'little prodigy' is. This is why Lt. Meunier did not wish to come with us. Her past-self lives here."

"The blood, is it her own?" asked Kirk.

McCoy scanned the tissue in the waste basket. "Yes, it is. The DNA is human. Apparently Rina has not always been a vampire…Wait…that's strange."

"What is it, Bones?"

"The blood has only half-human DNA. The other half is vampire DNA, like Rina's. I have made a scan of Katharina. She has the same differences about her ears and larynx. She is a hybrid. Half-human, half vampire."

"We should keep an eye on her. She could help us if she is aware of interstellar life."

* * *

**For explanation:** From 3rd to 10th grade the grades in German schools start with 1 as the best grade and 6 as the worst.

11th and 12th graders get credits with 15 as the best and 0 as the worst grade.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Saturday was quiet. Most of the students were out or learning for the last tests of this year.

The only people doing neither were sitting in the music lounge, one with a violin case and the other with a cross flute. They had originally wanted to speak with Katharina and tell her what was going on but they had spotted her with Caro and had decided to follow them.

McCoy was concerned that they would only stand there and listen to two girls playing classical instruments but they only did for ten minutes.

Instead of classical music the three officers overheard a very interesting conversation.

"How's your head, Kathi?"

"Better. It looked worse than it was."

"What's wrong anyway? You look so out of sorts all the time."

Katharina sighed. "It's about the portal. It doesn't matter that we could close it. The strange signs on the wall. That was Puvlagonian. I'm absolutely sure. And from what it meant we have to be careful. It's after us."

"But where? I mean such a creature should raise a hell lot of attention. What is it we have to look for?"

"Many of the creatures from the other world can change into a human appearance. Look at Marie or Silver. That means we have to see who's new around us and showed up when the portal opened in the basement."

"These three guys. The janitor, the guy with the cap and the doctor. He was so nice yesterday. Do you think they came through the Veil?"

Kathi shook her head. "I don't think so. They could have killed us yesterday easily. And I can smell if something is only a disguise. Kirk and McCoy smell like normal humans. Only Spock's smell puzzles me."

Caro smiled. "Nothing can fool a half-vampire's nose. So what's about him?"

"You know that I can smell the composition of people's blood. Your blood and that of all humans smells like iron because of your red hemoglobin. His blood smells like copper. That means he has green blood like Marie. But he's not a ghoul like she is. The eyebrows don't fit. And what about the cap?"

"Should we talk to them?"

"To tell them what exactly? 'Hi, we are two of the five Guardians of the Veil, the barrier between the magical and not magical world. A couple of days ago a portal to another world opened in the school's basement. We closed it but we are afraid that we have a creature from the other side here. Have you seen a 10-meter reptile-guy somewhere?'"

Kirk, McCoy and Spock looked at each other. They nodded to each other before Kirk opened the door.

"Good day, ladies. I believe all of us have some explaining to do."

* * *

If you have questions please ask me and I can answer them in the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I'll call the others," said Katharina and closed her eyes.

"What is she doing?" asked McCoy.

"Telepathy," Spock and Caro answered at the same time.

Katharina opened her eyes again. "They'll come as fast as they can. As for the call, telepathy works better down here than my cellphone. Vampires are telepaths but we Guardians communicate this way, too."

The door opened and three other girls entered.

The first, Verena, had long blond hair and brown eyes.

Sorena's hair went down to her hips in brown waves and she looked them up and down with suspicion in her emerald-green eyes.

The last one, Carola, or Lola how she was called, had shoulder-length black curls and dark blue eyes.

"You begin," Caro mentioned for Kirk to start explaining.

"We are officers of the USS Enterprise, a starship from the future. I am Captain Kirk, this is my first officer Cmdr. Spock and my CMO Dr. McCoy. In our time we discovered the possibility to go back in time. We tried and landed here. We discovered a strange source of energy and went down to investigate but got caught by a teacher. In order to stay undiscovered we applied for jobs. When we went to the basement the next night there was nothing unusual."

"What about him?" Sorena nodded in Spock's direction. "Kathi said something about green blood."

Spock removed his cap, revealing his pointed ears. "I am a Vulcan. My home planet is 16.454 light years away from here."

"Another alien," Verena said with a smirk. "Looks like Kathi is not alone anymore."

Katharina lowered her lashes. It was obvious that she didn't like being called an alien.

"You said something about a portal and another world. Was that what our sensors picked up?"

Caro nodded. "But Kathi's the magical creature. She can explain better."

Katharina took a deep breath and stood. "Let me show you."

She darkened the room and made sure that nobody could see them. Then she took a bucket from the corner and filled it with water in the nearby sink. She put it on the teacher's desk.

"A long time ago," she started and held her hand over the water and lifted it slowly. The water came out and formed into two globes with a move of Katharina's hands.

"The magical and the not magical world were united. Humans and magical creatures lived along each other in peace and harmony. One day that changed. The people with magical abilities started to feel superior and the humans became afraid. They started to fight until the council of Perlagan, the world which watches over all magic, separated the worlds."

She moved the water globes further apart. "Ever since then, the Veil exists. To keep it from falling and protect the universe from harm, five Guardians are chosen by the Oracle, the head of Perlagan."

She let the water disappear and opened the curtains. "What your sensors picked up was a portal, a passage way to Puvlagon, the planet where my people come from. Caro and I went down and closed it. That's why you found nothing."

"Yeah, but if you translated correctly we have this reptile guy after us. Where is he and what's his cover?" Verena obviously was worried.

"Then we'll fight together and kick some giant snake's butt, right girls?" Lola was the optimist of the group.

"They are not exactly after 'us'. They want me."

"What do you mean by 'they want you'?" asked Spock.

Katharina regarded her feet, a deep scarlet on her cheeks. "Because of the coronation tonight. They want to get rid of me before I get my vampire powers," she said with a thick French accent.

"Could you explain this in detail?" Spock probed.

Her cheeks colored impossibly darker. "I believe you know that I'm only a hybrid. My father was human, only my mother was a vampire. Before she went to earth she was the queen of Puvlagon. I am her oldest daughter, what makes me…"

"The crown princess," concluded Spock and Katharina nodded.

"Tonight's the ceremony where I officially become the crown princess of Puvlagon and get my powers. My family wants to prevent that from happening at all costs. They hate me. They hate me for being what I am. A mentally disabled, weak, half-human bastard."

"No, you're not!" It came from the other girls simultaneously.

Verena, who was the nearest to Katharina, sat down next to her and pulled her friend into a hug, rubbing her back.

"You shouldn't say that about yourself. You're good the way you are, pretty princess."

Caro smiled. "It's hard to guess that they are fire and water, don't you think?"

"What's with the elements," asked McCoy.

"I'm the leader, the Guardian of energy and the keeper of the soul of Perlagan."

"Soul?"

"Every magical world has a mystic jewel called soul. It gives us our guardian form and full powers. Anyway, our powers fit our personalities. Kathi's element is water, calm, unemotional and highly unpredictable. Verena is the Fire Guardian. It stands for temper and warmth. Sorena has the power over earth. She is a much grounded person, well most of the time. Lola's element is air. She is optimistic and courageous."

"It is possible for two people with completely different attitudes to be good friends," remarked Spock.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

"You don't have to go. You can stay here."

Caro frowned. "Are you kidding? Our best friend gets her powers and becomes princess of an entire planet. I wouldn't miss it at any price."

The other girls agreed.

Katharina turned to Kirk. "You wanna come, too?"

"We would be honored to witness this event, your majesty."

She looked pained. "I have a deal. You three join us and you stop calling me by any title. Deal?"

They nodded. "Deal."

"Do we start from here?" Verena asked.

Katharina shook her head. "Too dangerous. Let's go to the place where the first portal appeared. No one will see us there."

So the went to the basement. Now the three men noticed the signs on the wall.

"You can read that?" McCoy asked in disbelieve.

"I am their princess. I should be able to read the language of my people."

"How is this pronounced?" Spock asked curiously.

"You wouldn't be able to hear me. Puvlagonian is spoken in frequencies too high for humans to hear. I don't know about your hearing but I believe it's not that important. It's a very weird language."

"It's ShowTime, K. Open the portal."

Katharina nodded and put her hand together near her heart. There was a small, light blue shimmer at first but it grew bigger until there was a spherical, light blue diamond with a silver setting on a long necklace between her hands.

She extended her right hand, palm up, and the amulet hovered over her palm.

There was a flash of light and in front of them appeared a round, blue gleaming portal out of thin air.

Katharina put the necklace over her head and stepped through it, motioning them to follow her.

When they were through they found themselves on a rocky island surrounded by water.

"Kathi, what is this place? Where's the castle?" Sorena was confused.

"You know that I'm not able to know where exactly we land before we step into the other world. We are at Mermaid Island. To go to the castle you have to swim this way through the sea, up the river and into the lake. From the shore it's only a small walk."

"Why is it called Mermaid Island?" Kirk asked.

Katharina pointed mutely at one of the water-filled pools in the rocks. Inside the water stood a wooden stake. And tied on the stake was a skeleton. It was human from head to waist but the hips were smaller and instead of legs there was only a lengthening of the spine.

"What happened here?" asked McCoy shocked.

"Just what happens when you combine humans with magic," came a voice.

They looked at the source. On a smaller cliff sat a young girl. Her skin was pale and her hair had a silver color. Her chest was covered by a bikini top which was made out of silver fish scales. But instead of legs she had a muscular silver fishtail which ended in a broad fin.

Katharina smiled and went over to the mermaid and hugged her. "Silver, it's so nice to see you."

Silver returned the hug. "Glad to see you too, K. Who are these guys?"

They introduced themselves. Kirk wanted to know what Silver meant. "You mean humans did this?"

She nodded. "There are potions which require scales or hair or tears. They captured us just to get those things. But instead of letting us free afterwards they tied us there and left us to rot. There's not enough water in there to survive but enough to let us die a slow and painful death," she said contemptuously.

"Silver, could you get us to the castle?"

"There's a boat close-by. Bring it into the water and I'll swim you to the shore."

So she did. Silver shoved the boat through the water in an amazing speed. When they reached a wooden jetty she said good-bye and disappeared beneath the surface.

In front of them a beautiful landscape with green hills around a sparkling lake under a blue sky with a shining sun extended. They stood near a small village, which lined the way to the castle on the top of the highest hill.

"Welcome to the main village. We need to get up there for the ceremony but we have to wait for Marie, my lady-in-waiting. She's going to pick us up," Katharina explained.

Only a short time later they were approached by a monkey-like creature. It looked like a chimpanzee if it hadn't been for the long tail and the large bat wings on its back.

"Marie, it's nice to see you again," Katharina shouted.

The creature walked over on its hands and feet but more and more straightened up. The wings and the tail disappeared beneath a medieval servant's dress with a brown skirt, white top, black corsage and a white apron. The body became the one of a teenage girl and the features of her face turned human too. Soon the creature had transformed into a girl with amber eyes and long black hair which hid the right half of her face.

She smiled and bowed to them. "I am glad to see you too, Princess. I see you have brought guests. We should go. We have to prepare you for the coronation."

"What kind of preparations?" McCoy wanted to know.

"First she's going to bath. We use special bath salts for occasions like this. Then we leave her alone for meditation. Magic can only be received by a clear mind. In this time we can get something to eat in case you are hungry."

They reached the castle and were greeted by a man with short black hair. His skin was almost white and his eyes had a brown-greenish color. He smiled when he saw Katharina, exposing a pair of fangs.

She ran to him and jumped into his arms. He swirled her around then sat her down and hugged her.

The three spacemen looked at each other and Spock raised an eyebrow. They had never seen Rina act this emotional.

"Guys, this is Saren, my great-grandfather. Where's Grannie, Grandpa?"

"She had to get something done in the village. She'll be there later. She promised, Little one."

They went into the large hall. They met Katharina's cousin Leni, a paraplegic, 6-year-old and a very cheerful child.

Marie touched Katharina on the arm. "We have to go, Princess."

Katharina nodded and handed Leni to McCoy. They left for Katharina's room.

A woman passed. She shot the child a stern look. "Don't bother our guests, Helena."

Leni lowered her gaze. "Yes, Mother." Another stern look. "Narzissa."

"What was that?"

Leni looked sadly into McCoy's eyes. "I'm to address her by her name. My mother refuses to acknowledge that she has brought a disabled child to this world. I am worthless for her. That's why I and K fit together so well. We are both considered a shame for the family."

"Because she's half-human?" Kirk probed.

"That too. But I think the true reason is that she's too smart for them. She has a mind of her own and doesn't just do what she's told." Leni looked down again, a sad expression on her usual so cheery face.

McCoy gently ruffled her black curls. "Don't bother, Sunshine. I've never seen such an archaic attitude."

"Perhaps it's because Katharina comes from another world that she is so nice to me and doesn't care that I can't walk. She's nearly the only one apart from my siblings Noxi and Zora. And Marie's been always nice too."

"What exactly is Marie?"

"I'm a ghoul," came the servant's voice from behind them. "I'm another kind of undead. A green blooded demon if you wish. And before you ask, my bloods green because it makes it easier for us to exist beside the vampires. They can only drink red blood because they need the iron. So I'm perfectly safe."

They talked for a moment longer before Marie left again to help Katharina with her dress.

It was time to get started.


	10. Author's note

Hey guys,

sorry that I haven't updated for so long. It's just that I have no idea how to continue.

Suggestions are very welcome.

Please, this writer's block is driving me crazy.

Thanks,

Rina Meunier


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